1. New to the Program
We are very happy to announce that two new Medical Transcriptionists will be joining the Cardiac Sciences Team: • Kemorine Platt is the successful applicant for the Permanent Full-Time position. She will be located at Y3500-4 and can be reached at 204-237-2953 • Sheila Marte is the successful applicant for the Term Full-Time position. She will be located at Y3500-10 and can be reached at 204-258-1267 Both Kemorine and Sheila will be starting on Monday, September 29th, please join in welcoming them to their new positions.
2. CCU on A5 West – gone to tender
We have achieved a major milestone on the road to renovating A5 West for the new 10-bed CCU. The project has gone to tender, which means it is in the market place for interested construction companies to bid on. Once that process is complete (expected to be mid-October), the next phase will be to get Government final approval to award the construction contract. Currently, we are projecting to start construction in the early-winter.
3. Congratulations – Donna Lee Samson
Cardiac Sciences Leadership is pleased to announce that Donna Lee Samson has accepted the permanent position of Program Team Manager with the Cardiac Sciences Program, effective Monday, September 22, 2014. Donna Lee has been in the acting role on a term basis for the past year. Her areas of responsibility have been Cardiac Clinics, NICD, and Echocardiography. We now have the opportunity to split this enormous portfolio and will be posting another PTM position very shortly. Donna Lee has chosen to manage the Cardiac Clinics which includes not only Cardiology Clinics on Y2, but CR1 Surgery and CPAC Clinics, and CR3 Lipid Clinic. Prior to Donna Lee being in the PTM term role she was a senior technologist in the Department of Echocardiography as well as the Charge technologist. She will be sorely missed in this area. Donna Lee’s office will remain at Y3512 in the Bergen Centre and she can be reached at 204.258.1404, pager 204.931.2657 or via email at dsamson@sbgh.mb.ca. Please join me in congratulating Donna Lee in her role as Program Team Manager for the Cardiac Sciences Program.
4. WRHA Consultation with Ottawa Heart Institute
From the WRHA Website: NEWS - WRHA plans for future demand on cardiac sciences Winnipeg Health Region - Published Thursday, September 18, 2014
A team of consultants from the University of Ottawa Heart Institute will be in Winnipeg this fall to consult with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority's Cardiac Sciences Program to ensure the program's approach to quality improvement is consistent with best practice, and is positioned to meet future needs and demands on the program including an evaluation of the need for and feasibility of developing a heart transplant program in Winnipeg. "After ten years of growth, we need to look forward to ensure we are well positioned today to meet future demands on the program so we can be confident the program will be able to meet the needs of patients over the next ten years," said Arlene Wilgosh, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. "This consultation will assist us in identifying any changes we need to make today to ensure we are able to meet the future needs of patients and Manitoba's population which we know is growing, getting older, and generally living longer. This includes an examination of the approaches used within cardiac sciences to monitor and improve quality, and an assessment of the need and feasibility of developing a heart transplant program here in Winnipeg." Wilgosh noted that accurately projecting future trends in cardiovascular medicine is challenging due to rapid pace of change and the introduction of new therapeutic treatments and procedures. However, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority's Cardiac Sciences Program has been actively engaged in trying to quantify and prepare for future demand on the program. This included the internal preparation of demand projections which were subsequently reviewed internally and also externally by Dr. Jack Tu, Canada Research Chair in Health Services Research and Senior Scientist with the Sunnybrook Research Institute.
Building on the Region's efforts to date, the team of clinical professionals from the Ottawa Heart Institute has been asked to consult with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and the Cardiac Sciences Program. The University of Ottawa Heart Institute is Canada's largest and foremost cardiovascular health centre dedicated to understanding, treating, and preventing heart disease. They provide care to more than 80,000 patients a year, and serve local, national, and international communities. The four member team will be led by Dr. Thierry Mesana, President and Chief Executive Officer of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and a professor of cardiac surgery. Other members of the team will include a cardiologist, anesthesiologist, and chief nursing officer. "As with any service we provide, it is important to plan for future needs and demands. It is equally important to remain committed to continuous improvement. This means innovating, changing, and adapting the system based on our growing base of collective knowledge of what works well and what doesn't so we can provide the best care possible to patients, clients, and residents," said Wilgosh. "I am pleased to welcome the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, and look forward to what we can learn from them following their visit in the fall." University of Ottawa Heart Institute Consultation Terms of Reference
• Examine and validate internal projections for an increased demand for cardiac services in Manitoba, and assess the capacity of the Cardiac Sciences Program to meet these demands.
• Examine the indications for cardiac surgery and case selection processes in Winnipeg and determine if they are consistent with best practices in other jurisdictions.
• Examine the scope of cardiac services offered in Winnipeg to ensure they meet the needs of Manitoba's population specifically with respect to highly complex cardiac surgery interventions.
• Examine the approaches used in Cardiac Sciences to monitor and improve quality/standards and determine if they are consistent with best practices in other jurisdictions.
• Examine the resources available to support cardiac services (surgical/procedural/non-surgical) in Winnipeg (slates, critical care beds, ward beds, etc.) and comment on the adequacy of these resources to deliver the current and projected volume of cardiac services.
• Examine the ability to recruit and retain academic clinical staff, and assess existing clinical staffing models and structures within the Cardiac Sciences Program. Examine the need for and feasibility of developing a heart transplant program in Winnipeg.
5. Points to Ponder Cardiac Sciences Program Website – new look and new functions! Thanks to Maureen Kuppe, the Cardiac Sciences Program website has undergone a complete makeover! All the information that was on the old website has been migrated to the new one at the link(s) below. In addition, we have included new sections, new information, and new functionality. Tweets will be sent along to notify you of important events/updates; the Program Facebook page will contain information about our life here in the Program – you may see yourself in pictures from last year’s Annual Gala and Dinner; the Linked In page houses key elements of the Program for professional consumption; blogs will inform and provide more detail about initiatives; and the Program YouTube channel is designed to educate/inform patients pre-procedure, highlight key elements of Program transformation, and publicize the work being done in patient care and research. Please visit the website, follow the various social media streams, and contribute to the growth of the Program. Comments, feedback, and suggestions are always welcome.
Links:
Website: www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/medicine/units/cardiac_sciences/index.html
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CardiacSciences
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cardiac.sciences
Twitter: twitter.com/CardiacSciences
Blog: cardiacsciences.blogspot.ca/
If you have any points that you want to pass to the rest of the Program and/or have feedback, please contact Paul Joudrey pjoudrey@sbgh.mb.ca or 204.237.2743
